“No, I couldn’t do that, that’s far too generous, I—”
“You saved my life, Audrey.” It was his turn to smooth her hair away from her face. “You made me feel alive again, so if anything, I oweyou.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. “You wouldn’t be indebted to me because this is just one part of working to build a life together—I have the means to do it, and I want to. And besides, you give me so much in return every single day. You’d never need to pay me back. You already have.”
Her heart was beating so fast, she was certain it would pound straight through her chest.
“But I understand if that’s a lot to take in right now.”
Something nearby thumped. There was a muffled swear, and when Theo eyed her door warily, she remembered where they were.
Violet was probably listening on the other side.
“Just think about it, sweetheart.” His mouth cracked into a crooked, unsure smile. “Okay?”
“Okay.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed. “Come visit for a while?”
A shadow shifted from beneath the front door and disappeared.
He nodded and picked nervously at the fingernails on his freehand. They’d talked about this before coming back, and it was a big step he was about to take. But Audrey had faith that her best friend wouldn’t let her down, even without prior warning. It had to be authentic.
When she opened the door and ushered an unmasked Theo inside, Violet turned from where she sat innocently on the couch and her mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes immediately landing on the right side of his exposed face. But it was only for a split second, and she chucked the book she was pretending to read (upside-down) onto the coffee table before bounding over to them eagerly, an irrepressible grin growing rapidly across her face.
“Oh my god, HI THEO!” Violet grabbed his hand and yanked him further inside. She barely came up to his chest, but her grip was so strong that his eyes widened and he stumbled forward with a grunt, nearly tripping over his own enormous feet. But he recovered his balance enough to straighten and rub the back of his neck. Every bit of his face was burning red-hot now, and it did make the scar stand out even more than usual.
“Audrey didn’t tell me you were coming inside this time! Are you gonna hang out?”
“Uh…yeah.” He glanced nervously at Audrey while she hung her coat on its hook by the door. “Yeah, I figured I’d stick around and chat for a bit, if that’s okay by you.”
“Okay by me?! I’ve beendyingto talk to you! So come on then! Come sit down!And give me that damn bag—” Violet wrestled it over his shoulder, and Theo looked vaguely terrified as she dropped it onto the ground and kicked it ruthlessly toward Audrey’s bed. It skidded across the worn wooden floors and bumped to a stop against their bunks, and he flinched at the force of the impact.
Honestly, his reaction wasn’t off base.
Violet could be…intense.
She dragged him to their tiny loveseat and shoved him onto thecushions before rushing into the kitchen. “Hey, do you want something to drink? We’ve got Coke Zero, water, key lime LaCroix…oh and maybe—”
Audrey slid onto the spot next to him and laced their fingers together while Violet continued to rattle off their options. “You see?” she whispered in his ear. “She couldn’t give less of a shit about your scar. I told you.”
“My face feels naked,” he whispered back. “I hate it. Can I put the mask back on?”
“No.”
“Oh god,” he breathed. “Please?”
“You told me to tell you no when you inevitably asked.” Audrey caressed his right cheek. “You look fine. You’re doing fine.”
“She’s staring at my scar, I know she is.”
“She’s literally not, her back is turned right now.”
“She looked when I first walked in.”
“That’s because she’s never actually seen your whole face before. It’s not because of the scar, I promise. She doesn’t care, she’s just excited.” She squeezed his hand. “Give it some time. It’s just practice.” She leaned over and planted a quick kiss against his cheek. “You got used to being unmasked aroundme, didn’t you?”
“Barely,” he grumbled.
“Theo, what did you think of the new Mila Herrera gallery show?” Violet called over her shoulder. “Have you seen it yet?”
“Oh, uh…y-yeah,” he stammered. “Mila’s a friend of mine, so—”
